Keyboard musical instruments generally have a surface comprising keys each corresponding to a musical note or tone and which are pressed or otherwise actuated in order to sound or “play” the notes assigned to the respective keys. Such instruments produce sounds in various ways and are embodied in such well known keyboard instruments as pianos, organs, harpsichords, synthesizers (digital keyboards), and accordions. Many keyboard instruments, known as chordophones, further comprise tensioned strings or wires corresponding to the keys such that when a key is actuated, a corresponding string is either plucked or struck to impart mechanical (vibrational) energy to the string. The energy in the string is transferred, usually via a transducer (e.g., a “bridge”), to a vibratable member (i.e., a soundboard) capable of generating an audible sound of a corresponding predetermined fundamental pitch together with corresponding overtones and or harmonics which give the sound produced a characteristic quality or timber. Each key in a piano, for example, has a hammer associated with it which strikes a corresponding string when the key is depressed. In a harpsichord, the back of the key is fitted with a vertical jack which carries a pick or plectrum. Depressing the key releases a cloth damper from the string, raises the jack and forces the plectrum past and in contact with the string, thereby plucking it.
As used herein, a “key” is intended broadly to mean all types of levers including conventional piano keys, as well as other actuation devices. The term “conventional piano key” means piano keys generally of the shapes of the “white” and “black” keys shown in FIG. 1. White key 1 is a conventional C piano key. It is rectangular with a rabbet on the upper, right side which accommodates placement of the conventional C♯/D♭ piano key 8. White key 2 is a conventional D piano key. It is rectangular with a first rabbet on the upper left side to accommodate placement of the key 8 and a second rabbet on the upper right side to accommodate placement of the conventional D♯/E♭ piano key 9. Black keys 8 and 9 are rectangular and shorter than the white keys, and narrower than the lower portion of each white key.
Referring to FIG. 1, which shows part of a keyboard of the type found on most pianos, harpsichords, synthesizers and accordions, the white keys and black keys, when pressed, produces corresponding tones. The white keys include, in addition to those previously discussed, an E key 3, an F key 4, a G key 5, an A key 6 and a B key 7. The black keys include, in addition to those previously discussed, an F♯/G♭ key 10, a G♯/A♭ key 11, and an A♯/B♭ key 12. Piano keys numbered on FIG. 1 as 1 through 12 constitute an “octave”.
Also shown in FIG. 1 is a second grouping of keys which correspond to the next, higher octave. This second octave includes, as white keys, a C key 21, a D key 22, an E key 23, an F key 24, a G key 25, an A key 26 and a B key 27. The black keys included in the second octave are a C♯/D♭ key 28, a D♯/E♭ key 29, an F♯/G♭ key 30, a G♯/A♭ key 31, and an A♯/B♭ key 32. C key 1, for example, is one octave lower than C key 21.
It is important to distinguish the meanings of “note” and “pitch.” For example, key 1 and key 21 play the same “note”, i.e., a “C”. However, these same two keys play tones of different “pitches” because the two keys correspond to tones that are an octave apart.
Furthermore, the term “half-step” in the context of the keyboard of FIG. 1, means one key to the right or left. For example, the B key 7 is a half-step to the left of C key 21 and a half-step to the right of A♯/B♭ key 12. As another example, the D♯/E♭ key 29 is one half-step to the right of D key 22 and a half-step to the left of E key 23. A “whole step” constitutes two consecutive half steps. Thus, C key 1 is a whole step to the left of D key 2, because C♯/D♭ key 8 is between said C and D keys.
A feature common to all keyboard instruments is that each of the keys has an associated playing surface visible to the person playing the instrument. The top of a piano key, for example, is an associated playing surface which is visible to the pianist. The tops of the black keys usually lie in a plane above the plane defined by the playing surfaces of the white keys.
A problem associated with conventional approaches to the teaching of reading of music (musical scores) and applying what one reads simultaneously to musical instruments, and to the keyboard in particular, is that the teaching of it at the elementary level has been focused on the recognition and naming of notes in a discrete manner as opposed to correlating keys with intervals on a musical score. This fails to impart an understanding in the mind of the beginning student of their tonal relationships which in turn hinders development of the student's musical “ear”, particularly with regard to recognizing the relative pitches of the notes in an interval. Thus, in conventional keyboard pedagogical methodologies for teaching beginners, one initially learns music notation (including clefs and signatures), the location of each musical note on the instrument, a variety of musical scales, modalities, and chords, and the theory that ties all of these together in the naming of notes rather than intuitive placement of the beginning player's fingers on the keys. For example, the beginner student typically learns most or all of the major and minor scales, as well as many different chords. Memorizing or quickly identifying such notes, scales and chords can be a more difficult task than it should be, particularly for the beginner and does not provide the beginner with the means to develop at the requisite early stage an intuitive sense as to how the various notes, chords and/or scales relate to each other. As a result, the conventional reference techniques frequently do little to advance an understanding of music theory.